Fantasy Football Start or Sit Week 2: Shane Vereen

Fantasy football owners, like their fans, are hoping the New York Giants can bounce back in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons after their tough loss Week 1 to the Dallas Cowboys. The offense was stagnant throughout the Week 1 loss, as the Cowboys controlled the clock right from the get go, not enabling the Giants to get into any sort of rhythm. They will be hoping for better success against a Falcons defense that graded out pretty poorly in Week 1 according to Pro Football Focus.

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One player who looked good in Week 1 though was the newly acquired Shane Vereen. Despite only getting seven touches, four receptions and three carries, Vereen piled up 60 yards. He averaged the most yards per carry in the game, and also led the Giants in receiving as Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle and Larry Donnell were held in check. Vereen should continue building on that performance in Week 2 against the Falcons.

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In their first game of the season, the Falcons struggled in pass defense. According to Pro Football Focus, they graded out in the bottom-five for pass rush and bottom-ten in defending the pass. They looked to run out of steam in the second half against the high octane Philadelphia Eagles offense that moves at lightning pace. While the Giants, like every other team in the NFL, don’t move as fast as the Eagles offensively, they do like to play in a no-huddle offense with some tempo.

All of that is working in the favor of Vereen, but how the Eagles passing back fared against the Falcons in Week 1. Against the Eagles, the Falcons were able to hold their top running back options in check, as DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews gained nine yards on eight carries and four yards on three carries respectively. But, Sproles was able to carve them up for 50 yards on five carries. The passing game was much of the same, as Sproles added seven receptions for 76 yards for 126 all purpose yards; a very strong outing for a player in a three-man rotation.

This bodes well for Vereen, someone the Giants should rely heavily on throughout the afternoon. They will more than likely not have Eli Manning attempt 52 passes like the Eagles had Sam Bradford do, but Vereen will be a big part of the offense as the Giants will be most successful against the Falcons through the air. That means Vereen should have his fair chances at producing.

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That is all you can ask for as a fantasy football owner is touches for your player to produce. It is something Vereen should receive against the Falcons early and often. Using Sproles performance as the only barometer we have to go against, it looks like Vereen is in for a busy, productive afternoon for the Giants and his fantasy football owners. Vereen is a very strong FLEX play and should be in the RB2 conversation when it’s all said and done.

Next: New York Giants vs. Atlanta Falcons Analysis and Prediction

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